A political row is brewing over a restaurant owner's claim that a vulgar menu referring to the Prime Minister's body was never seen by LNP members at a fundraising dinner.

The menu surfaced online earlier this week, and included as a main course a dish called "Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail - Small Breasts, Huge Thighs & A Big Red Box".

Yesterday the Liberal National Party released a statement condemning the menu, which it said was "used at a small local event in March".

The event was held on March 28 at an inner-city Brisbane restaurant. It was organised by former Howard government minister Mal Brough, and the guest of honour was Coalition Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey.

Both men yesterday stated they had never seen the menu card.

To my way of thinking it is almost inconceivable that this menu was not sighted by participants at the lunch and I don't think we've heard any convincing case from any of the participants that it wasn't seen by people.

Wayne Swan

The scandal prompted Ms Gillard to call for Mr Brough to be disendorsed as the LNP candidate for the Sunshine Coast seat of Fisher - a call the Opposition has rejected.

She says there are still "dozens of questions" for Mr Brough to answer.

"Mal Brough yesterday said he had seen the menu and he offered an apology, today we get a completely different version," she said.

"It's for Mr Brough to explain that."

And last night an email to Mr Brough from the restaurant's proprietor, Joe Richards, was distributed by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's office, stating that he created the "mock menu" as an "in-house joke" and that "no one at the dinner was privy to such a menu".

Treasurer Wayne Swan says he does not believe the explanation.

"This is a vile act by those that were at the lunch," he said.

"The stories that have been told by various participants simply don't add up.

"To my way of thinking it is almost inconceivable that this menu was not sighted by participants at the lunch and I don't think we've heard any convincing case from any of the participants that it wasn't seen by people."

Brough says menu matter is 'very confusing'

Yesterday Mr Brough told the ABC that he apologised for the "deeply regrettable, offensive and sexist" menu that he insisted he could not recall seeing at the event.

Today he described the matter as "very confusing".

"I was presented with a fait accompli that there had been a menu which I said at the time I had not seen," he said, "but was in no position to clarify that something was not there that I hadn't witnessed."

"The last thing I wanted to do was make categoric statements which were found to be incorrect."

He says it is clear "there was nothing there, it didn't occur".

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, who also yesterday condemned the language in the menu, now says the true story has come out.

"It wasn't exactly apparent what the facts were, but now we know exactly what the facts were," Mr Abbott said.

"It was a bad taste menu, a tacky joke that should never have been made and it never made it out of the kitchen."

Abbott rules out deal with anti-abortion senator

The Prime Minister brought gender to the fore of the political debate earlier this week with a speech warning that, if the Coalition wins in September, women will be "banished" from politics and abortion would become the "political plaything of men who think they know better".

Mr Abbott, who is an ardent Catholic, once described abortion as "the easy way out".

It was a bad taste menu, a tacky joke that should never have been made and it never made it out of the kitchen.

Tony Abbott

However, more recently he has distanced himself from his previous stance, saying "for any woman facing an unexpected pregnancy, the choices are tough".

The debate has prompted questions about any action the Coalition might take on abortion if it wins office.

Today Mr Abbott said he wanted to make it "crystal clear" that it would take no action whatsoever.

And he ruled out doing "any deals" with an anti-abortion senator should the Coalition win government.

Victorian Democratic Labor Party Senator John Madigan currently has a bill before the Senate to remove Medicare funding for abortions used for gender selection.

It is possible that he will hold the balance of power in the Senate after the election.

"I do rule out any deals," Mr Abbott said.

"I make it crystal clear that the Coalition has no plans for change in this area, none whatsoever.

"It is fundamentally an area for the states but certainly as far as we are concerned, there are no plans, no plans whatsoever, for change."

Senator Madigan says he will continue to raise the issue in parliament.

"Having the balance of power in the Senate is not a licence to bludgeon the government into a position but you do have the right, as does every member of Parliament, to raise issues that concern you and that's what I'll do," he said.